Class 8 Truck Sales Tumble 30% in October
All 7 Major Manufacturers Are Down Year Over Year
Key Takeaways:
- Sales decreased 29.6% to 14,690 from the 20,859 in October 2024.
- Repercussions of the federal government shutdown continue to be a concern, despite Congress passing a short-term continuing resolution.
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U.S. Class 8 retail sales fell below the prior-year level as all seven major truck makers showed declines in October, according to data from Omdia Automotive.
Sales decreased 29.6% to 14,690 from the 20,859 units reported in October 2024. This marked the fourth consecutive month sales were down from the previous year, and they also declined 9.5% from 16,228 units in September. Year-to-date sales are down 11.4% to 175,664 from 198,220. Wards Intelligence became fully assimilated under the Omdia branding earlier this year.
The current political administration is undermining the economy, ACT Research Vice President Steve Tam said. Last I checked, our effective tariff rate is about 18%. And so, that directly relates to the purchase price of trucks.
RELATED: Medium-duty truck sales decline
President Donald Trump has made tariffs a cornerstone to his approach on international trade, but the policy has caused market uncertainty. Tam warned that this approach has made many business leaders unsure of how to react to the current economic environment. He also said the recent government shutdown added to the uncertainty.
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I think if we can gain some clarity, it will help, Tam said. Ill use that 25% import tariff as an example. From our perspective, when that announcement was first made, everybodys mind goes to the immediate worst-case scenario. Its going to be 25% on the sale price of any truck thats not built in the U.S. Once we got the clarification it wasnt that bad, that afforded us the opportunity to bump our forecast up a little bit, not significantly.
Tam also warned that the shutdown issue has not gone away. Congress passed a continuing resolution to end the legislative stalemate, which means another shutdown could occur as early as Jan. 30. This solves some immediate federal spending issues but doesnt help businesses looking for clarity and the ability to plan.
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Were going to be right back in the same boat, rowing around in circles, when it comes time to face that deadline, Tam said. So, its really unfortunate, and its going to take, not just a decision here and a decision there, we really need to see a meaningful position or stance on policy so that we can get these business leaders back to work. And its going to take time.
Every major truck manufacturer experienced year-over-year drops in sales. Freightliner, a brand of Daimler Truck North America, claimed the largest market share at 32.3% with 4,738 trucks sold. That still marked a 39.7% reduction from 7,863 in the year-ago period. Western Stars sales declined 21.6% to 876 units from 1,117.
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There continues to be ongoing softness in the North American freight market, as evidenced by a year-over-year decline in orders, said David Carson, senior vice president of sales and marketing at DTNA. Many customers remain cautious amid persistent freight challenges and ongoing regulatory uncertainty. We continue to stay focused on our customers and keep them at the center of our business decisions.
Mack Trucks sales decreased 2.3% to 1,332 from the 1,363 reported in 2024. Volvo Trucks North America sales fell 16.1% to 1,544 units from 1,840. Mack and VTNA are Volvo Group brands.
October brought the lowest month so far in 2025 for Class 8 industry retails in the U.S. with 14,700 trucks, said Magnus Koeck, vice president of strategy, marketing and brand management at VTNA. The October 2025 retail numbers were the second-lowest October numbers we have seen since 2010. Not even during COVID did we see numbers like this.
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Koeck said that freight demand remains soft, rates remain low, construction activities have slowed and tariffs continue to create challenges across the industry. He added that these factors have led to greater caution in the market.
Despite these headwinds, Volvo is very well-positioned to grow market share, Koeck said. More and more customers are experiencing the substantial fuel-efficiency savings with our new Volvo VNL, improving their profitability and bottom line directly. In addition, as a fully U.S.-based manufacturer, recent tariff decisions are making us more competitive versus other OEMs.
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International sales dropped 33% to 1,697 units from 2,533. Peterbilt Motors Co. sales decreased 27.9% to 2,250 from 3,119. Kenworth Truck Co. sales fell 25.8% to 2,237 from 3,013. Peterbilt and Kenworth are Paccar Inc. brands.
October retail sales reflected the market trends weve been tracking, with fleets maintaining a cautious stance amid continued economic uncertainty, said Jonathan Randall, president of Mack Trucks North America. While freight demand remains soft and construction activity has moderated, customer conversations reflect a measured approach to fleet investment as they evaluate both near-term economic conditions and policy developments heading into 2026.
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